HPD's red-light camera letters all bark?

HPD's red light letters rappedWarning that vehicle registrations will be blocked not true in Harris

Houston police have notified 79,000 motorists that they cannot renew their vehicle registrations until they pay red light camera fines and penalties, even though Harris County officials repeatedly have said they will not prevent people from registering their vehicles because of the outstanding citations.

Police Chief Charles McClelland denied critics' charges the Houston Police Department's collection campaign relies on scare tactics, but he acknowledged HPD has no legal agreement to block registration of Harris County residents who owe red-light camera fines. He said that some of the red light violations were committed by residents in adjacent counties that are enforcing the registration holds.

Harris County officials have rejected requests to help HPD collect red light camera fines, expressing concern the county could lose a large share of the state registration fees it collects. Cities can enter into an agreement with the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles to block registration by motorists who owe civil fines, but county officials must approve an agreement not to renew registrations at county tax offices.

At a news conference at HPD headquarters Thursday a sample warning letter distributed to reporters featured a warning across the top in large lettering.

"The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles has placed a Hold on the registration renewal of this vehicle,“ the notice states. "Registration of this vehicle cannot be renewed until this past due fine is paid.'

'May' refuse to register

That warning is true in counties where the Commissioners Court has agreed to block registrations or for those who attempt to renew their registration online through the state, but McClelland said it was not incumbent on HPD to inform motorists they still could register their vehicles in Harris County. He noted that tickets have been issued to vehicle owners in Fort Bend, Brazoria, and Montgomery counties.

HPD spokeswoman Jodi Silva said HPD has no agreements with other counties, and is not in discussion with any counties other than Harris.

"To the best of our knowledge all counties, other than Harris Counties, are enforcing the state registration hold,“ she said.

Assistant HPD Chief Vicki King, who is heading the collection campaign, insisted the red light notices were factual and correct. The notice does state, in small print on the back, that a county tax office "may“ refuse to register a vehicle.

"This is a State of Texas issue, and our agreement is with the state of Texas; it is their registration to issue and it is their registration to place a hold on,“ King said. "If Harris County chooses not to take action on that, that is their responsibility.“

City Councilman Mike Sullivan, an outspoken opponent of the cameras, said he found it "troubling" HPD sent out letters "stating a fact that is untrue." He also questioned the document for having the appearance of being from HPD when it originated in Scotsdale, the home of ATS, the city contractor that installed the cameras at 70 intersections and administers the program.

"There is such a strong effort to collect a fine, that seems to be the primary message and focus of this notice," Sullivan said. "It's saying, 'We're going to tell you whatever we have to tell you to intimidate you to mail your fine in.' They're making their own rules and the public doesn't know any better."

Thousands unpaid

Nearly a third of the 796,000 tickets issued since the program's inception in 2007 have not been paid, and more than 217,000 have been sent to collection, according to the most recently available HPD operations report.

The city has collected $43 million in fines and paid nearly $9 million of that to ATS. HPD has kept nearly $16 million from the program, and transferred more than $12 million to the state, which, by law, distributes those funds to hospitals for trauma care.

Michael Kubosh, a bail bondsman working to get enough signatures to put the cameras to a vote on the Nov. 2 ballot, said HPD's notice letter shows that the program "has always been about revenue," not safety.

Kubosh said more than 20,000 signatures have been obtained to place the red light camera on the ballot, but it will take several more weeks to validate that the names they collected are registered voters in the city of Houston.